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Notes09/22/2019
MrHonest
104 Reviews
MrHonest
4
Fahren-Lite
Very impressed with the ratings here, so of course I had to blind buy this sucker once I found it online. To be blunt, Carlitos was bang on - at its core, it's very reminiscent of Fahrenheit, although there are a number of notes and nuances missing in the blend - most notably the prominent petrol vibe.
Unfortunately, the opening is the worst part of this fragrance. It's discordant, unnatural and features a rather sharp and synthetic mandarin at the top - par for the course as far as budget fragrances go I suppose. The lavender and violet duke it out within the first 2 minutes along with a muddled carnation that's barely detectable in the background. None of the base notes are noticeable and the projection is virtually non-existent. The sad truth was that I was initially more impressed with the sensitivity of the atomizer. :(
But then, after about 10 minutes, the magic begins. Gone is the annoying brashness of the citrus, to be replaced by an uncannily smooth, almost powdery nutmeg and vetiver combo, that works well with the violet and lingering fizziness of the mandarin. My hopes soar. If ever there was a modernized version of Fahrenheit, this would be it - no petrol, no overwhelming leather, and certainly no dense, ambery floral sludge (some of my favourite aspects of Fahrenheit btw).
Fifteen minutes later, the stuff suddenly begins to project - a welcome surprise considering the underwhelming tameness of the opening. Of course, it's nowhere near the strength of either the original or modern formulations of Fahrenheit, but it's certainly enough to be going on with, especially in a post-modern, projection-shy society.
Most unfortunately, the stability of the notes in the blend (on skin) begin to break down at about the 1.5 hour mark when the projection dies down considerably and the fragrance wavers between 'Fahrenheit-esque' and 'orange soda flavoured glue.' The patchouli shows up eventually to add a dash (and I mean a dash) of dankness, but it's basically a skin scent by then and not enough to re-ignite the magic. Oh well, at least it was pretty good for about 2 hours. Total longevity is about 4-5 hours, doubling-up on sprays. My advice - just spray your clothing.
Overall though, I couldn't help but think that this is what a Fahrenheit clone by Zara would smell like - modern, aromatic, quiet and significantly less offensive to young noses. What can I say? It's pretty good. Definitely better than most overly-sweet, juvenile scents on the market these days. I would even go so far as to call it a less spicy-green and more wearable version of Claiborne's Bora Bora Exotic (another budget-friendly Fahrenheit....thingy).
Love the bottle too. It's got that modern appeal, complete with wooden cap and fits well in the hand considering it's a 100mL. Atomizer is excellent and produces a satisfying and audible 'pffffft' on each spray. Strange putting that in writing, but there you go.
So until another decent inexpensive version of Fahrenheit comes along in the next few years (as Metal Jeans is so hard to come by), this is probably your best bet. Just don't pay more than what you would for your average Zara fragrance, since both the overall quality and projection of Grey Quartz are on par.
Unfortunately, the opening is the worst part of this fragrance. It's discordant, unnatural and features a rather sharp and synthetic mandarin at the top - par for the course as far as budget fragrances go I suppose. The lavender and violet duke it out within the first 2 minutes along with a muddled carnation that's barely detectable in the background. None of the base notes are noticeable and the projection is virtually non-existent. The sad truth was that I was initially more impressed with the sensitivity of the atomizer. :(
But then, after about 10 minutes, the magic begins. Gone is the annoying brashness of the citrus, to be replaced by an uncannily smooth, almost powdery nutmeg and vetiver combo, that works well with the violet and lingering fizziness of the mandarin. My hopes soar. If ever there was a modernized version of Fahrenheit, this would be it - no petrol, no overwhelming leather, and certainly no dense, ambery floral sludge (some of my favourite aspects of Fahrenheit btw).
Fifteen minutes later, the stuff suddenly begins to project - a welcome surprise considering the underwhelming tameness of the opening. Of course, it's nowhere near the strength of either the original or modern formulations of Fahrenheit, but it's certainly enough to be going on with, especially in a post-modern, projection-shy society.
Most unfortunately, the stability of the notes in the blend (on skin) begin to break down at about the 1.5 hour mark when the projection dies down considerably and the fragrance wavers between 'Fahrenheit-esque' and 'orange soda flavoured glue.' The patchouli shows up eventually to add a dash (and I mean a dash) of dankness, but it's basically a skin scent by then and not enough to re-ignite the magic. Oh well, at least it was pretty good for about 2 hours. Total longevity is about 4-5 hours, doubling-up on sprays. My advice - just spray your clothing.
Overall though, I couldn't help but think that this is what a Fahrenheit clone by Zara would smell like - modern, aromatic, quiet and significantly less offensive to young noses. What can I say? It's pretty good. Definitely better than most overly-sweet, juvenile scents on the market these days. I would even go so far as to call it a less spicy-green and more wearable version of Claiborne's Bora Bora Exotic (another budget-friendly Fahrenheit....thingy).
Love the bottle too. It's got that modern appeal, complete with wooden cap and fits well in the hand considering it's a 100mL. Atomizer is excellent and produces a satisfying and audible 'pffffft' on each spray. Strange putting that in writing, but there you go.
So until another decent inexpensive version of Fahrenheit comes along in the next few years (as Metal Jeans is so hard to come by), this is probably your best bet. Just don't pay more than what you would for your average Zara fragrance, since both the overall quality and projection of Grey Quartz are on par.
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